


Cosmos

by arielgryffinpuff



Series: Cosmos and Chaos [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hints at Stony, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Spoilers, mentions character deaths
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2019-04-28 19:03:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14455773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arielgryffinpuff/pseuds/arielgryffinpuff
Summary: What happens after the cosmic ending. This is their thoughts and how they're going to move forward.Spoilers. Takes places directly after Infinity War, and with added bits in the film. .





	Cosmos

**Author's Note:**

> I realised writing this, that it is more of a gen story to infinity war, as the background of the next writings i will put in this series - to do with relationship of steve/tony - but this is not that explicitly. It centres on their thoughts.  
> The only thing different in this series is that basically Pepper is not romantically involved, Tony and Steve are together, or on a break (but could be read as friendship if you wanted).   
> All the 'major character deaths' and 'violence' have already happened. This contains SPOILERS.  
> Please tell me what you think, constructive criticism always welcome as well.

“Tony?” Steve’s voice anxiously answers the phone, he can’t _wait_ to hear Tony’s voice. Not far away, he can see Natasha and Sam watching the news. It’s not good. He would have been confused if Tony hadn’t called. But he’d been waiting so long – and he had done far too much waiting in his life.

“No - no, sorry Steve, it’s me, Bruce.”

Steve let out a deep breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.

“Good to hear from you, Banner. Where’s Tony? Is he ok?”

“Erm, Steve, he’s - kind of in outer space.”  
“ _What?_ ”

“I don’t know where he is though, Steve, ok? Look, but he’s gone after Strange, who was taken by that ship, cause he has one of the infinity stones, and the, the little spider-boy was there as well, I don’t know whether he’s still with Tony, I gather Tony wouldn’t let him go with him, but I don’t know and – it’s a big mess, Cap,” Bruce finished his ramble, sighing on the other side of the phone, “That’s why I called you, why Tony was gonna call you. But it was too late.”

Steve shut his eyes, shaking his head. He had just missed him, the chance to speak to him again, and now he was in _space_? So far away, so… _dangerously_ unsafe, he didn’t even know where the man was!  

“…He told me how things were between you, and…I’m sorry, Steve. But we need your help. We need Vision.”

Steve inhaled a shaky breath, preparing himself. He nodded, seeing Natasha look back to him and frown in question.

“Ok.”

* * *

 

 

_After the end of Infinity War_

 

* * *

 

 

Steve lay on the ground, just barely moving his head, ashes, dust, fleeting brown spectacles all around them drifting on the forest floor.

Bucky. He could still hear his last word, calling his name, both confused and scared.

_“Steve..?” Bucky said, looking at him._

And then he crumpled. He fucking floated _away_. He was whole, alive, healthy, and real, and then…he just _wasn’t_. And it felt like a rock was lodging itself in his chest, filling him deeper and deeper, and it _hurt_.

And all that was left was...their dust, or ashes, or remnants, resting peacefully on the ground, or drifting wistfully in the low, warm wind. Everywhere they looked.

He couldn’t help the few stray tears fall from his eyes, and was surprised at first. But he just blinked them out. Everyone was a mess right now. Nobody would blame him. Hell, some had lost everything. If this was happening all over the world…it would be in turmoil. And they were the only ones who knew _why_. How did they tell the world that? _Could_ they?

After a while, the remaining avengers around him moved about a bit and talking quietly. But there wasn’t much to be said. Everyone was still in shock, but he could hear shouts from afar. Confused as they watch the people around them die.

It was obvious. Thanos had done it, he’d won – they had seen him activate all six infinity stones on his gauntlet. And he’d actually enacted his plan to wipe out half of the population on earth. No, wait – the entire _universe_..?

Which meant – Tony…who’s in outer space…he…

Oh, _God_.

_Where are you now?_

 

* * *

 

Tony closed his eyes once more, letting the tears fall, not that there were any left. His face had become dry in the heat. The – the dust, it was

it was all over his hands

he was sitting in _ashes_

what kind of _sick_ reality was this-

“ _Hey.”_

Tony jumped, and turned his head to see Nebula looking at him, both understanding and anger in her face, narrowing her eyes at him

“What,” his voice carried no weight. No meaning.

“Look, I know it must be hard, having lost everyone, I – I know what that’s like.” Her deep voice was clipped. He twisted himself slightly to look up at her, and look at the site around them. The golden light of another sun. The wreckage.

“But I won’t stop. If you wanna come with me, I’m game.”

“What, are you _serious_?” Tony said incredulously, “Go after Thanos, _now_ , half-assed against his _six_ infinity stones-”

“I’m going,” she said resolutely, holding her head up, “I’ll…find a way. I have to. He’s taken what I had left. He’s not going to get away with this.”

Tony considered. He understood. But he was not in that place right now.

“I need to, um…get back to Earth. You know, my home planet.” He swallowed.

Nebula nodded.

“Ok. I can take you in my ship.”  
He looked up at her, surprised.

“Really?”                                                                                         

“Yes.”

He tried to look into her black eyes, and saw the emotion flickering behind her angry globes.

He nodded to her. “Thanks. Yea, I’d like that. And you could stay at Earth, you know. Try and…I dunno. Reassemble anything we got left. Weapons. Anything. So you don’t go into it with literally _nothing_.”

Her mouth quirked a millimetre into what could be described as a smile. A smile. Despite all this.

“I’ll go find the ship.” She moved, and then looked back at all the dark matter scattering the ground.

“I’m not gonna leave them here, don’t worry,” Tony said softly, and she looked to him, “I’ll…I’ll find a way to get them all up. I’m not _leaving_ them.” He could feel his throat go dry, clouding with emotion.

_“Mr- S-Stark, I don’t wanna go, please-”_

_“It’s okay, it’s okay.”_

He closed his eyes, and started absent-mindedly gathering all the ashes on the floor into piles, and then he realised his wound in his side. Amidst the shock, it felt like nothing. The bleeding wasn’t too bad, but it was painful. Nothing he couldn’t handle.

There were too many things going around his mind. He was gonna get back to them. He – couldn’t think of anything else right now. Hell, there could be a way still to win – especially with the wizard’s cryptic clue. How massively informative _that_ was. No, he would go back, and see what had survived. _Who_ had survived. What had happened. Recuperate. Get a plan. _Avenge_. Or die trying. And actually die this time, cause he was barely holding it together as he is.

God, Steve Rogers better be alive.

**Author's Note:**

> Did you know?  
> 'Thanatos' means death.


End file.
